Lately, the region where I spend most of my time has been graced with weather that’s not characteristic of January. It’s been sunny with temperatures reaching until the upper 60’s and lower 70’s. That could be why I’ve been feeling a bit restless lately.

In addition to the urge to get up, get out, and go do something, I’ve also started to read more. For one reason or another, I got away from reading books. About the only thing I’ve read on a regular basis besides articles on the Internet has been Texas Monthly. That magazine comes every month to the mailbox in addition to its online additions.

Last week, I went back to the hometown for a minute or two and caught up with my mother and father. Mama had just finished Teddy Kennedy’s autobiography, “True Compass.” She offered to loan me her copy, so back to Sherman I went with the book in tow.

So far, it’s a quick read. It’s easy to follow along the usual path of the Kennedy dynasty, especially if you’re already aware of those events that lead up to Ambassador Joseph Kennedy’s assignment in London before World War II, Jack Kennedy’s ascension to the White House, etc. I suppose what makes it quick to follow is the book is filled with the back stories you don’t know. How their father and mother managed to amass their wealth… Where they lived, what they did in the summers, and so on. I’m half way through the book right now. So far, very little of this book is what I’d call political ideology. Of course, there are a few paragraphs but what do you expect? Kennedy was a politician and one of the most well-known of our time.

In addition to the reading, I spent part of the weekend outside. I washed off the front porch of the home place and let the kids play in the front yard. They don’t get to do this often even though they seem to prefer it. My wife wonders why. I think it’s because there’s no fence out front. I remember that feeling as a kid. There was more to see. More cars passing, more people on the sidewalks, and the lack of a fence make the yard feel more wide open.

I began to start daydreaming about things I’d like to accomplish with the house. A NEW fence is desperately needed in the back. The kitchen and bathroom are screaming for handy work. There’s that problem of the old pier & beam foundation needing a level. After the reading and the mental list making, I got tired and went in the house for a nap.

Here’s a look at my reading “list” at work. These are magazines, catalogs, and other essays from near and far about journalism, broadcasting, technology, and other related materials. The metal object shoved among the stack is the CD player from a closed-down bar just up the street. It doesn’t work.

Even this pile makes me want another nap.
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